Ceramic bodies colorized by known processes before or after sintering, show a decrease in translucency upon application of a colorant. In dental applications, pre-sintering or post-sintering colorization techniques compete to balance hue, chroma, value and translucency inherent in the structure of natural dentition. For example, techniques to create an enamel effect may reduce the overall translucency of the restoration. Moreover, pre-sintering treatments applied to enhance optical properties may result in a decrease in strength or cracking. Furthermore, post-sintering treatments to enhance or mimic a translucent effect are often temporary, failing to last the useful life of the restoration.